Apple delays new iPad 3G shipments until May 7

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) said customers who have not yet pre-ordered a 3G version of its iPad tablet will have to wait until May 7 for their order to ship, another indication of strong demand for the 3G version of the gadget.

Previously, Apple said the 3G version, which runs on AT&T Mobility's network, would be available by the end of April. Customers who have already pre-ordered the 3G version will get the iPad sometime later this month. New customers, however, will have to wait a few extra days.

Earlier this month, Apple delayed the international launch of the iPad by about a month. Apple said it sold more than 500,000 WiFi iPads during the gadget's first week of sales in the United States, and "demand is far higher than we predicted and will likely continue to exceed our supply over the next several weeks." The company said it will announce international iPad pricing and begin taking pre-orders May 10. Apple reports its quarterly earnings tomorrow, but iPad sales won't be included as the device went on sale after the quarter closed.

AT&T recently disclosed that its prepaid unlimited data access plan of $29.99 per month for the iPad will not cap users' data at 5 GB per month, as the carrier does for laptop, netbook and USB modem subscribers. 

For more:
- see this Fortune blog post
- see this Wired article

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